Monthly Archives: November 2020

2020-11-26: News Headlines

MEE and agencies (2020-11-26). Turkey: Leaders of 2016 coup receive multiple life sentences. middleeasteye.net Turkey: Leaders of 2016 coup receive multiple life sentences | Verdicts are the culmination of a trial that began in August 2017 and involved a total of 475 suspects | Thu, 11/26/2020 – 10: 18 | More than 250 people were killed in Turkey on 15 July 2016 when rogue soldiers commandeered warplanes, helicopters and tanks (Reuters) | A Turkish court has jailed 337 people, including pilots and…

MEE staff (2020-11-26). Palestinian hunger striker Maher al-Akhras released from Israeli prison. middleeasteye.net Palestinian hunger striker Maher al-Akhras released from Israeli prison | Akhras spent 103 days on hunger strike in protest against his administrative detention | Thu, 11/26/2020 – 09: 30 | Palestinian detainee Maher al-Akhras arrives at al-Najah Hospital in the West Bank city of Nablus following his release by Israeli authorities on 26 November (AFP) | Israeli authorities have released Palestinian prisoner Ma…

John Pilger (2020-11-26). Britain's Class War on Children. zcomm.org Study after study shows that the people who suffer and die early from the diseases of poverty brought on by a poor diet, sub-standard housing and the priorities of the political elite and its hostile "welfare" officials — are working people…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-26). Major COVID-19 outbreak in Belmarsh prison, Assange's family raise alarm. peoplesdispatch.org According to Julian Assange's partner, Stella Moris, at least 56 inmates were found to be infected in the block where he is held. Assange, along with nearly 200 other inmates of his house block, had been under lockdown since November 18…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-26). Colombian social leader Julián Gil released after 900 days unjustly held in prison. peoplesdispatch.org "This is a victory of people's movements," declared Julián Gil as he left the prison and was greeted by dozens of family members, friends as well as militants and leaders of his organization Congreso de los Pueblos (the People's Congress). Gil, who worked as the technical secretary of the organization was arrested 902 days ago outside the organization's office and falsely accused of having participated in and planned acts of terrorism. | On Tuesday November 24, the Specialized Judge of Cundinamarca absolved Gil of all charges and declared that he should be released immediately. Gil had been accused of rebellion a…

Workers World Portland, Oregon, bureau (2020-11-25). Portland disabled Black Lives Matter protesters demand rights under ADA. workers.org A claim was filed in U.S. District Court here on Nov. 1 charging that disabled people are being denied their right to protest against "systemic racism" by local, state, and federal police agencies. The claim cites Section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). August 2020 protest. Joining in . . . |

Sameena Rahman (2020-11-25). COVID explodes inside prisons, but only guards to get first doses of vaccine. liberationnews.org Over the past week, 14,697 new cases of Coronavirus infection were reported inside of state and federal prisons — the highest level since the pandemic began.

MEE and agencies (2020-11-25). 'Faint and shaky' Loujain al-Hathloul transferred to Saudi terrorism court. middleeasteye.net 'Faint and shaky' Loujain al-Hathloul transferred to Saudi terrorism court | Family warns that women's rights activist looks visibly weak after more than two years in jail | Wed, 11/25/2020 – 16: 33 | Undated photograph released on 6 August 2019 on Facebook page of Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul shows her at undisclosed location (AFP) | Imprisoned Saudi women's rights activist Loujain…

Ragip Soylu (2020-11-25). Turkey: Erdogan demands legal probe into calls for release of Kurdish leader. middleeasteye.net Turkey: Erdogan demands legal probe into calls for release of Kurdish leader | Angry president attacked former ally Bulent Arinc, who resigned after asking that political prisoners, including Selahattin Demirtas, be freed | Wed, 11/25/2020 – 11: 26 | Erdogan addressed his ruling AK Party group at the Turkish parliament on 25 November 2020 (Turkish Presidency) | In a fiery speech on Wednesday, Turkish Pre…

Dennis Broe (2020-11-25). France bans citizens from filming and identifying violent police officers. peoplesworld.org PARIS — Against a backdrop of street protest—even in the midst of a COVID lockdown—and increasing police violence and repression, France Tuesday passed the draconian Global Security Law which could make it an offense punishable by a year in jail and a 45,000 euro fine to film, post, and identify police officers committing violent actions. …

WSWS (2020-11-25). Spain's PSOE-Podemos government builds migrant concentration camps on Canary Islands. wsws.org Like Syriza in Greece, the "left populist" Podemos party is supporting the building of mass internment camps to imprison thousands of refugees.

WSWS (2020-11-25). Assange's life in danger as major COVID-19 outbreak hits Belmarsh Prison. wsws.org Assange's partner Stella Moris has reported a mass outbreak in the house block where the WikiLeaks founder is imprisoned, with 56 prisoners and staff testing positive to the coronavirus.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-25). Thai protesters face charges of insulting monarchy on eve of planned rally. peoplesdispatch.org 15 protesters have been summoned to face lèse-majesté charges that can carry upto to 15 years in prison if found guilty. The summons were sent to some of the most prominent faces of the nearly four-month long protest movement…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-25). "We demand an end to patriarchal violence in all its expressions" peoplesdispatch.org On November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, working class women across the world raise their voices against patriarchal violence, exploitation and oppression…

Jade Crosbie (2020-11-24). Colorado governor waters down Elijah McClain investigation, protesters continue to demand justice. liberationnews.org The movement's demands are clear, "Indict, convict, send those killer cops to jail; the whole damn system is guilty as hell!"

MEE correspondent (2020-11-24). Egypt urged to release two women whose pretrial detention has expired. middleeasteye.net Egypt urged to release two women whose pretrial detention has expired | On 21 November, the two-year pretrial detention limit of Hoda Abdelmonem and Aisha al-Shater ended, making their continued imprisonment unlawful, says rights group | Tue, 11/24/2020 – 13: 40 | Abdelmonem (L) and Shater were held in November 2018 as part of a wave of detentions which targeted nearly 40 human rights w…

MEE staff (2020-11-24). Egyptian rights group says jailed director is in 'danger' from inhumane treatment. middleeasteye.net Egyptian rights group says jailed director is in 'danger' from inhumane treatment | The arrest of EIPR staff has triggered rare western condemnation of the Sisi government's crackdown on human rights | Tue, 11/24/2020 – 14: 02 | Gasser Abdelrazek was detained on 19 November, a few days after two of his colleagues were arrested over a human rights seminar their organisation held with western diplomats (EIPR)…

Staff (2020-11-24). Justice means abolition, not more jails. therealnews.com The U.S. spends billions incarcerating the largest prison population in the world, but prison abolition still sounds too abstract for many people to think about. Here's what it would actually look like.

Ragip Soylu (2020-11-24). Turkey: Erdogan ally Bulent Arinc resigns in dispute over reforms. middleeasteye.net Turkey: Erdogan ally Bulent Arinc resigns in dispute over reforms | Arinc left the Turkish president's high advisory council after he called for the release of two high-profile prisoners | Tue, 11/24/2020 – 15: 14 | Then-Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, talks to his then-deputy Bulent Arinc during a debate at the parliament in Ankara on 25 February 2010 (AFP) | One of the leading associ…

Musawenkosi Cabe (2020-11-24). South Africa's constitutional Court protects domestic workers. peoplesdispatch.org "It's unbelievable. We feel like flying, we are so happy. I nearly broke into song inside [the Constitutional Court], breaking the law…" These were the words of 77-year-old Eunice Dhladhla, a domestic workers' union organizer, after the court ended years of unfair exclusion and discrimination against domestic workers. | Twenty-six years into democracy, and still domestic workers could not claim compensation for contracting a disease, being injured or disabled, or even dying while at work. The Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Disease Act expressly excluded domestic workers from the class of workers who…

MEE staff (2020-11-24). French app users sue Muslim Pro over alleged data sharing with US military. middleeasteye.net French app users sue Muslim Pro over alleged data sharing with US military | Lawsuit accuses Muslim Pro of data protection offences, abuse of trust, endangering other people's lives, and conspiracy to commit murder | Tue, 11/24/2020 – 15: 50 | Muslim Pro told MEE that it denies selling its data to US military and that it was ending all sharing of its data with companies (Facebook/Muslim Pro) | French users of…

Staff (2020-11-24). Betting Pool? Tyson Managers Bet on How Many Workers Would Get COVID. Advocates Call It Grim Pattern. democracynow.org The family of a former meatpacker who died from COVID-19 alleges in a lawsuit that managers at a Tyson Foods plant in Iowa knew working conditions would result in illness, and even placed bets on how many workers would be infected. The family of Isidro Fernandez, who died in April, says the plant manager set up a winner-take-all betting pool for supervisors and managers to wager on coronavirus infections. Since the start of the pandemic, at least six workers have died and more than 1,000 tested positive for COVID-19 at the Iowa facility. Tyson Foods has suspended the managers involved in the alleged betting schem…

_____ (2020-11-24). Report: Incarceration Destabilizes Neighborhood Economies. popularresistance.org A report released by the Maryland Center for Economic Policy suggests decreasing the state's prison budget will lead to a healthier economy and increased public safety. | The report, released Wednesday, found that Black Marylanders are 4 1/2 times more likely to serve prison sentences than any other racial or ethnic group. Indigenous Maryland residents are twice as likely to be incarcerated than any other racial or ethnic group. | "None of what we're doing is making any of us safer and it's most certainly not making those Black communities that are being robbed of human capital ‚Äï it's not making…

David Cole (2020-11-24). Can Liberals Win in a Conservative Court? aclu.org This piece originally ran in

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-24). Persecution of political prisoners and activists intensifies in Egypt. peoplesdispatch.org Imprisoned human rights activist Gasser Abdel-Razek has been subjected to cruel treatment in prison, claimed his lawyers. Meanwhile, on Monday, a criminal court in Cairo designated 28 Egyptians, including prominent activists, as terrorists…

WSWS (2020-11-24). Alabama juvenile hall teacher speaks out on hazardous conditions. wsws.org An educator at one of Alabama's juvenile detention facilities described the dangerous conditions she and her students are forced to confront daily.

news.un (2020-11-24). 'Deplorable' killing of Afro-Brazilian man shows need to address racism, discrimination. news.un.org The killing of an Afro-Brazilian man, and the widespread outrage it has sparked, underscores the urgent need for the Government to tackle racism and racial discrimination in South America's largest country, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Tuesday.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-24). Human rights organizations demand release of jailed student activists in Myanmar. peoplesdispatch.org Several activists and students, many from the All Burma Federation of Student Unions, have been recently arrested by the Myanmar authorities for protesting against human rights violations in the country's Rakhine and Chin States…

Ashoka Mukpo (2020-11-23). Bloody Masks and Fevers on Shift: Immigrant Workers Face Abuse in Nebraska Meatpacking Plant. aclu.org Last spring, as people across the globe raced to shut themselves indoors and shelter away from the threat of COVID-19, meatpacking workers in America suddenly found themselves exposed, vulnerable, and

sputniknews (2020-11-23). South Dakota Authorities File Lawsuit Against Voter-Approved Recreational Marijuana Amendment. sputniknews.com While the legalization of medical marijuana received widespread voter support in South Dakota's November 3 election, voters were nearly split on a second, potentially unconstitutional referendum that included hemp-related legislation, the regulation of recreational weed and weed taxation.

Andrew Emett (2020-11-23). Former supervisory corrections officer sentenced to prison for tasing restrained teen. nationofchange.org "Our citizens have a fundamental and constitutional right to ethical treatment by employees of federal, state, and local government."

2020-11-25: News Headlines

Workers World Portland, Oregon, bureau (2020-11-25). Portland disabled Black Lives Matter protesters demand rights under ADA. workers.org A claim was filed in U.S. District Court here on Nov. 1 charging that disabled people are being denied their right to protest against "systemic racism" by local, state, and federal police agencies. The claim cites Section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). August 2020 protest. Joining in . . . |

Sameena Rahman (2020-11-25). COVID explodes inside prisons, but only guards to get first doses of vaccine. liberationnews.org Over the past week, 14,697 new cases of Coronavirus infection were reported inside of state and federal prisons — the highest level since the pandemic began.

_____ (2020-11-24). Report: Incarceration Destabilizes Neighborhood Economies. popularresistance.org A report released by the Maryland Center for Economic Policy suggests decreasing the state's prison budget will lead to a healthier economy and increased public safety. | The report, released Wednesday, found that Black Marylanders are 4 1/2 times more likely to serve prison sentences than any other racial or ethnic group. Indigenous Maryland residents are twice as likely to be incarcerated than any other racial or ethnic group. | "None of what we're doing is making any of us safer and it's most certainly not making those Black communities that are being robbed of human capital ‚Äï it's not making…

Jade Crosbie (2020-11-24). Colorado governor waters down Elijah McClain investigation, protesters continue to demand justice. liberationnews.org The movement's demands are clear, "Indict, convict, send those killer cops to jail; the whole damn system is guilty as hell!"

Musawenkosi Cabe (2020-11-24). South Africa's constitutional Court protects domestic workers. peoplesdispatch.org "It's unbelievable. We feel like flying, we are so happy. I nearly broke into song inside [the Constitutional Court], breaking the law…" These were the words of 77-year-old Eunice Dhladhla, a domestic workers' union organizer, after the court ended years of unfair exclusion and discrimination against domestic workers. | Twenty-six years into democracy, and still domestic workers could not claim compensation for contracting a disease, being injured or disabled, or even dying while at work. The Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Disease Act expressly excluded domestic workers from the class of workers who…

Ragip Soylu (2020-11-24). Turkey: Erdogan ally Bulent Arinc resigns in dispute over reforms. middleeasteye.net Turkey: Erdogan ally Bulent Arinc resigns in dispute over reforms | Arinc left the Turkish president's high advisory council after he called for the release of two high-profile prisoners | Tue, 11/24/2020 – 15: 14 | Then-Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, talks to his then-deputy Bulent Arinc during a debate at the parliament in Ankara on 25 February 2010 (AFP) | One of the leading associ…

Staff (2020-11-24). Justice means abolition, not more jails. therealnews.com The U.S. spends billions incarcerating the largest prison population in the world, but prison abolition still sounds too abstract for many people to think about. Here's what it would actually look like.

MEE correspondent (2020-11-24). Egypt urged to release two women whose pretrial detention has expired. middleeasteye.net Egypt urged to release two women whose pretrial detention has expired | On 21 November, the two-year pretrial detention limit of Hoda Abdelmonem and Aisha al-Shater ended, making their continued imprisonment unlawful, says rights group | Tue, 11/24/2020 – 13: 40 | Abdelmonem (L) and Shater were held in November 2018 as part of a wave of detentions which targeted nearly 40 human rights w…

MEE staff (2020-11-24). French app users sue Muslim Pro over alleged data sharing with US military. middleeasteye.net French app users sue Muslim Pro over alleged data sharing with US military | Lawsuit accuses Muslim Pro of data protection offences, abuse of trust, endangering other people's lives, and conspiracy to commit murder | Tue, 11/24/2020 – 15: 50 | Muslim Pro told MEE that it denies selling its data to US military and that it was ending all sharing of its data with companies (Facebook/Muslim Pro) | French users of…

MEE staff (2020-11-24). Egyptian rights group says jailed director is in 'danger' from inhumane treatment. middleeasteye.net Egyptian rights group says jailed director is in 'danger' from inhumane treatment | The arrest of EIPR staff has triggered rare western condemnation of the Sisi government's crackdown on human rights | Tue, 11/24/2020 – 14: 02 | Gasser Abdelrazek was detained on 19 November, a few days after two of his colleagues were arrested over a human rights seminar their organisation held with western diplomats (EIPR)…

Jade Crosbie (2020-11-24). Denver governor waters down Elijah McClain investigation, protesters continue to demand justice. liberationnews.org The movement's demands are clear, "Indict, convict, send those killer cops to jail; the whole damn system is guilty as hell!"

David Cole (2020-11-24). Can Liberals Win in a Conservative Court? aclu.org This piece originally ran in

news.un (2020-11-24). 'Deplorable' killing of Afro-Brazilian man shows need to address racism, discrimination. news.un.org The killing of an Afro-Brazilian man, and the widespread outrage it has sparked, underscores the urgent need for the Government to tackle racism and racial discrimination in South America's largest country, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Tuesday.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-24). Human rights organizations demand release of jailed student activists in Myanmar. peoplesdispatch.org Several activists and students, many from the All Burma Federation of Student Unions, have been recently arrested by the Myanmar authorities for protesting against human rights violations in the country's Rakhine and Chin States…

WSWS (2020-11-24). Alabama juvenile hall teacher speaks out on hazardous conditions. wsws.org An educator at one of Alabama's juvenile detention facilities described the dangerous conditions she and her students are forced to confront daily.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-24). Persecution of political prisoners and activists intensifies in Egypt. peoplesdispatch.org Imprisoned human rights activist Gasser Abdel-Razek has been subjected to cruel treatment in prison, claimed his lawyers. Meanwhile, on Monday, a criminal court in Cairo designated 28 Egyptians, including prominent activists, as terrorists…

Ralph Nader (2020-11-23). Trump's Massive, Lawless, and Immoral Legacy to Our Country Will Continue Unless … counterpunch.org Trump has gotten away with almost everything throughout his bankruptcy-driven business career and his corrupt, cruel, and costly political years in the White House. Things changed on November 3, when he was retired by the voters.

Ashoka Mukpo (2020-11-23). Bloody Masks and Fevers on Shift: Immigrant Workers Face Abuse in Nebraska Meatpacking Plant. aclu.org Last spring, as people across the globe raced to shut themselves indoors and shelter away from the threat of COVID-19, meatpacking workers in America suddenly found themselves exposed, vulnerable, and

Jayati Ghosh (2020-11-23). Discrimination and bias in economics, and emerging responses. mronline.org Recently, mainstream economics has been forced to acknowledge some of the explicit and implicit forms of discrimination and bias that are rampant in the discipline, thanks in particular to some brave interventions by some women economists.

Andrew Emett (2020-11-23). Former supervisory corrections officer sentenced to prison for tasing restrained teen. nationofchange.org "Our citizens have a fundamental and constitutional right to ethical treatment by employees of federal, state, and local government."

sputniknews (2020-11-23). South Dakota Authorities File Lawsuit Against Voter-Approved Recreational Marijuana Amendment. sputniknews.com While the legalization of medical marijuana received widespread voter support in South Dakota's November 3 election, voters were nearly split on a second, potentially unconstitutional referendum that included hemp-related legislation, the regulation of recreational weed and weed taxation.

MEE staff (2020-11-22). Imprisoned spy Jonathan Pollard flying to Israel after US parole ends. middleeasteye.net Imprisoned spy Jonathan Pollard flying to Israel after US parole ends | Cold War spy passed on information about American intelligence agencies to Israel | Sun, 11/22/2020 – 09: 30 | Jonathan Pollard spent 30 years in prison for spying for Israel (AFP) | The spy Jonathan Pollard, who was jailed for spying against the United States in the 1980s, has been cleared to fly to Israel, where he will be welcomed by th…

Prison Radio (2020-11-22). "The Prison within the Prison": Lockdown and Social Distancing in America's Prisons. globalresearch.ca Our people inside are robbed of privacy, autonomy, safety, and human contact; why would their health in a pandemic be any different? Because of the poor standards and oversight of prison conditions in the U.S., each facility is largely responsible …

Mehr News Agency (2020-11-22). Resistance cinema should portray global oppression. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Nov. 22 (MNA) — American documentarian and Press TV anchor Marzieh Hashemi said that the Resistance International Film Festival brings together the currents of resistance in the world.

Loretta Graceffo (2020-11-21). Why Indigenous activists are occupying the Hamptons until Thanksgiving. nationofchange.org As a leader of Sovereignty Camp 2020, Shinnecock attorney Tela Troge discusses why they are protesting a lawsuit by New York state.

_____ (2020-11-21). New York Times Job Listing Shows How Western Propaganda Operates. strategic-culture.org Caitlin JOHNSTONE | People who are only just beginning to research what's wrong with the world often hold an assumption that mainstream news reporters are just knowingly propagandizing people all the time. That they sit around scheming up ways to deceive their audiences into supporting war, oligarchy and oppression for the benefit of their plutocratic masters. | Once you've learned a bit more you realize it's not quite happening that way. Most mainstream news reporters are not really witting propagandists—those are to be found more in plutocrat-funded think tanks and other narrative management firms, and in…

MEE and agencies (2020-11-21). Lebanon: Five prisoners die as dozens escape in jail break. middleeasteye.net Lebanon: Five prisoners die as dozens escape in jail break | At least 69 prisoners escaped Baabda prison, east of Beirut, on Saturday; only 15 have been arrested, according to state media | Sat, 11/21/2020 – 10: 05 | Lebanese security forces outside the Palace of Justice in Baabda after the prison break on 21 November (Reuters) | Five Lebanese prisoners died when their car crashed into a t…

Roger Sollenberger (2020-11-21). Plaintiffs in Trump's lawsuits embrace conspiracy theories — one has even violated election laws. salon.com One of the plaintiffs was once accused of election fraud and fined for multiple violations of campaign laws…

Peoples Dispatch (2020-11-21). Human rights organizations condemn arrest of Egyptian activists. peoplesdispatch.org Three functionaries of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, Gasser Abdel-Razek, Karim Ennarah and Mohammed Basheer, have been arrested over the past week. They have been sent into pre-trial detention…

sputniknews (2020-11-21). Councilman, Parents File Lawsuit to Reopen NYC Schools After de Blasio's Announcement. sputniknews.com The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the US hardest of all, with over 12Mln confirmed cases to date. Initially the Big Apple took the brunt of the virus, although later the daily number of new cases dropped significantly. With numbers now almost doubling in the last two weeks, Mayor Bill de Blasio has again shuttered all the schools within the city.

_____ (2020-11-21). Over 100 Rebellions In Jails And Prisons Over COVID19 Conditions. popularresistance.org U.S jails and prisons, already death traps, have been completely ravaged by COVID-19. Crowded quarters, a lack of PPE, inadequate medical care, an aging population, and unsanitary conditions have contributed to an infection rate 5.5 times higher than the already ballooned average in the U.S. As of this writing, over 252,000 people in jails and prisons have been infected and at least 1,450 incarcerated people and officers have died from the novel coronavirus. Evidence suggests these figures are underreported, however.